Having never travelled to the US before, I didn’t have the foggiest idea of what I would need to enter the country, or how to get a Visa. I assumed my husband would know, as he has extensively travelled through North America before…this was a bad assumption, as on his previous trip he utilised a travel agent to do everything for him.

Whilst I think travel agents are great, I like to think I’m a fairly competent person who likes to save money where I can. As I’m sure you can imagine, the  thought of paying a ‘professional’ to perform tasks that I can do myself with a few clicks of a mouse gives me sweaty palms.

So, off to the internet I went. After perusing the US Embassy’s website and the Department of Homeland Security’s difficult to navigate government page, I gave up and resorted to scrolling through my Facebook feed, like a good defeatist.

As luck would have it, an acquaintance had posted in a group I am a member of, stating that she would be travelling to Hawaii in the upcoming month and wondered if she’d need a visa.

As the group is full of well travelled women, there were a tonne of really useful, well informed comments on how to go about getting an ESTA, which is a condition of entry to the United States for New Zealand citizens.

The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) is an automated system that assists in determining eligibility of an individual to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program. Any individual wishing to travel to the United States visa free must first apply for permission on-line using ESTA.

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) is a program of the United States Government which allows citizens of specific countries to travel to the United States for tourism, business, or while in transit for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa.

So, I whipped out our passports and my credit card, submitted our applications and waited anxiously to see whether our applications were approved. With the current political climate in the US being pretty tumultuous with the succession of President Trump having caused huge discourse and rifts in American society at large, I can say the wait was nervewracking. In hindsight, I think I would have performed this exercise before shelling out almost $3,000 NZD in airfares, as I took a significant risk in assuming that our applications to enter the country would just happen. Shame on me.

Just so we’re clear – ESTA is not a visa. It does not meet the legal requirements to serve in lieu of a US visa when a visa is required. Travelers that possess a valid US visa may travel to the United States on that visa for the purpose it was issued.

In this case however, fortune did indeed favour the brave, and once payment was rendered, our applications were approved within a 24hr period. Stoked, we can legally enter the country!

It’s advised that you at least allow yourself 72 hours (3 days) when applying for an ESTA. However, if you are planning to visit the U.S. it is recommend to apply as early as possible. If your Travel Authorization is denied you will have to apply for a visitor visa at a US embassy or consulate. Sometimes, appointment slots are difficult to attain, and may take weeks. You can however resubmit your application if it is declined and circumstances have changed after a 10 day period that may mean your application will be approved.

If you’ve ever been denied a visa to the US, you won’t be able to travel on the Visa Waiver program and will need to go through the process of applying for a visa via your local US embassy.

The one other compulsory requirement is that you have an electronic or biometric  passport. This is due to the fact that the electronic passport contains biometric information that allows the TSA/US Customs to authenticate the identity of travellers.

The application process takes up to 20 minutes in total and is super easy – a series of basic identifying questions and dropdown menus, and should be approved or declined within a 72hr period. If you’re travelling in a group, you can also submit your application together ensuring approval at the same time.

Good luck, happy travels!

Charli x